bret hart – Between The Ropeshttp://www.betweentheropes.com
Thu, 24 May 2018 03:52:48 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.6http://www.betweentheropes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/cropped-BTR-itunes-black-final-32x32.jpgbret hart – Between The Ropeshttp://www.betweentheropes.com
3232Wrestling Fix: Lana breaks wrist and out of action, WWE signs Kana, Zahra Schreiber apologizes and more linkshttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/09/08/wrestling-fix-lana-breaks-wrist-and-out-of-action-wwe-signs-kana-zahra-schreiber-apologizes-and-more-links/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/09/08/wrestling-fix-lana-breaks-wrist-and-out-of-action-wwe-signs-kana-zahra-schreiber-apologizes-and-more-links/#respondTue, 08 Sep 2015 12:07:14 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=21790Enjoy what we do? Support Between the Ropes on Patreon! Your generous donation will help keep our lights on, and make it possible for us to do even more! Wrestling fans everywhere will thank you. WWE Lana is expected to be out of action the rest of the year after suffering a wrist injury. [WWE.com] ...

Eden offends Sasha Banks by noting that her shoulders were also pinned to the mat.

Sting destroyed the Seth Rollins statute. As a shareholder, I feel sick.

Next week is the “season premiere” of Raw, even though the show is on 52 weeks a year. Nikki Bella defends the Divas Championship against Charlotte, and the Prime Time Players challenge the New Day for the WWE Tag Team Championships. [WWE.com]

An idiot hopped the rail at Raw and strutted to the ring with Seth Rollins. [Deadspin]

Rumors, rumors, rumors: WWE may be signing Amanda from Tough Enough. She was backstage at Raw. Erick Rowan and Baron Corbin are supposedly under consideration to join team Shield at Night of Champions. [Cageside Seats]

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/09/08/wrestling-fix-lana-breaks-wrist-and-out-of-action-wwe-signs-kana-zahra-schreiber-apologizes-and-more-links/feed/0Patrick on WWE ‘Tough Enough’ Elimination, Daniel Bryan Talks “YES!” Book, Healthhttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/07/23/patrick-on-wwe-tough-enough-elimination-daniel-bryan-talks-yes-book-health/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/07/23/patrick-on-wwe-tough-enough-elimination-daniel-bryan-talks-yes-book-health/#respondThu, 23 Jul 2015 16:37:40 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=20740Another two-part Between The Ropes podcast! First, a conversation with Patrick Clark, Jr. about his surprising elimination from “Tough Enough”, why he felt it was coming and what’s next for him in pursuing a career in wrestling. Then, WWE star Daniel Bryan talks about his new autobiography “YES! My Improbable Journey to the Main Event ...

]]>Another two-part Between The Ropes podcast! First, a conversation with Patrick Clark, Jr. about his surprising elimination from “Tough Enough”, why he felt it was coming and what’s next for him in pursuing a career in wrestling.

Then, WWE star Daniel Bryan talks about his new autobiography “YES! My Improbable Journey to the Main Event of WrestleMania” (which is now available online and in stores), his amazing life wrestling around the world, if he thinks he has won over Vince McMahon, injuries over the past few years, how is health is now and much more.

Enjoy what we do? Support Between the Ropes on Patreon! Your generous donation will help keep our lights on, and make it possible for us to do even more! Wrestling fans everywhere will thank you.

Maybe Young realized cussing out fans — even dissatisfied ones — who paid money for a TNA pay-per-view wasn’t a good idea. He eventually deleted his original post. Of course, once it’s on the Internet, it’s there forever. Young followed up with.

If you watched #Slammiversary2015 thank you so much sometimes I get fired up at idiots a great night for wrestling and that's the end of it

How does Dixie Carter feel about one of her wrestlers telling fans to f-themselves? She probably doesn’t like the original tweet but approves of this message — and bad grammar.

Young’s rant is obviously ill advised. No TV network — Destination America or any other — would look favorably upon any of this. And Carter essentially endorsing it with a retweet is even more mind boggling given her background in public relations.

Cussing in tweets was apparently the new hotness in TNA Sunday night. At least EC3 has a reason to be excited — and wasn’t jawing with fans.

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/06/29/wrestling-fix-eric-young-tna-critics-dixie-carter-approves-dolph-ziggler-re-signing-wwe/feed/0Wrestling Fix: WWE Going Live from Japan, Tyson Kidd Hurt and 3 Headed Shark Attackhttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/06/04/wrestling-fix-wwe-nxt-finn-balor-kevin-owens-tyson-kidd-rob-van-dam-goldberg-bret-hart-maria-kanellis/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/06/04/wrestling-fix-wwe-nxt-finn-balor-kevin-owens-tyson-kidd-rob-van-dam-goldberg-bret-hart-maria-kanellis/#respondThu, 04 Jun 2015 13:52:55 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=18932Providing your daily fix of wrestling links from around the blogosphere. Maria Kanellis. Nothing more needs to be said. WWE is going to be streaming the July 4 show from the Tokyo Dome live on the WWE Network. And there a pretty big match taking place. [ProWrestling.net] Sounds like Tyson Kidd has a pretty serious ...

Maria Kanellis talks about doing her college work around the world while traveling for wrestling. She working on a sports marketing degree. [RIMonthly.com]

Kentucky officials are hoping to attract more wrestling shows to the state. First, they have to get the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority to ease up on rules that a show could be stopped if there is blood. [WDRB]

Yes, SyFy made a movie titled “3 Headed Shark Attack”. I think you can guess the plot. It stars Danny Trejo … and Rob Van Dam.

Chris Jericho on what he wants to see on the upcoming season of Tough Enough.

Yep, even Cousin Sal from “Jimmy Kimmel Live” made a Tough Enough video.

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/06/04/wrestling-fix-wwe-nxt-finn-balor-kevin-owens-tyson-kidd-rob-van-dam-goldberg-bret-hart-maria-kanellis/feed/0WWE WrestleMania 30th Anniversary Card: Part 5http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/03/24/wwe-wrestlemania-30th-anniversary-card-part-5/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/03/24/wwe-wrestlemania-30th-anniversary-card-part-5/#respondTue, 24 Mar 2015 12:06:20 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=17340Over the last couple of weeks, I sat down and compiled a 30 match card to celebrate 30 years of WWE WrestleMania. This is not the top 30 matches in WrestleMania history. This is a 30th Anniversary Card, and because it’s a card and not a list, no person appears more than once. That is ...

]]>Over the last couple of weeks, I sat down and compiled a 30 match card to celebrate 30 years of WWE WrestleMania. This is not the top 30 matches in WrestleMania history. This is a 30th Anniversary Card, and because it’s a card and not a list, no person appears more than once. That is the challenge of compiling such a card.

In terms of the in ring product, this match might not even make the card at all, let alone crack the top ten. But this match means so much to the WrestleMania concept that it deserves this spot. The Hogan/Piper rivalry mixed with the blending of pop culture in Mr. T is what ignited wrestling in the 80s and gave us the explosion that took wrestling out of the territories and turned it into a global phenomenon. It may not have aged well, but this match and the storyline behind it captivated an audience that said “I have to keep watching this.” Without this match and this angle, we may not have had 30 WrestleManias. Because of that, this match gets this spot on the card.

9. Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James (XXII) (8:48)

This is the best women’s match in WrestleMania history. Not that there’s much to choose from, as the women’s division (now known stupidly as the “diva” division… I hate that word) has never been given much of a chance at WrestleMania. Despite this, this match holds up on its own without the lousy comparative matches. These two had a crazy (literally and figuratively) storyline heading into this match which I thought was very well done and pushed the envelope quite well. The thing that really makes this match top ten worthy is the fact that about halfway into the match the Chicago crowd starts to get behind James as if she was CM Punk. Everything about this match is awesome. I’m glad it gives the underappreciated women’s division a spot on this card, especially since it’s Trish who, as JR said in this match, was the greatest WWE Women’s Champion, ever.

8. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (X) (20:21)

This is one of the reasons I didn’t include the Bret/Shawn ironman match. Owen was one of my favorites and this match was the best of his career in my opinion. Plus, the two brothers going at it is one of the most special moments in Mania history. The match itself is one of the best in Mania history as well. The near falls are incredible, the technical wrestling is incredible, and the finish is perfect. Bret and Owen put on a wrestling clinic here and absolutely cemented there spot in the top ten. My words really can’t do this match justice. If you’ve seen the match, you agree that it deserves to be on the card. If you haven’t seen the match, do so right now. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

7. Christian vs. Chris Jericho (XX) (14:50)

Christian was known as “The Instant Classic” at one point in his career. This match, in my opinion, is just that: instant classic. Jericho has a solid Mania resume, but this is my favorite match of his, as well as my favorite match of Christian’s singles resume. This match is one of the reasons the TLC from the 17th show of shows didn’t make the card. When I first considered making this card, this match was one of the first to come to my mind and I knew I had to include it here. The in ring action is superb, as expected, and the storyline leading into the match was excellent with the former tag champs turning into bitter enemies amid jealous and betrayal. Oh, and there’s a love triangle thrown in to boot. I like the swerve finish too, which is a rarity for me. I know this match doesn’t come to mind when people think of Jericho, but I feel like this was his best all around match at Mania (and I realize many will disagree, but hey, it’s my card).

6. Daniel Bryan vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton (XXX) (23:20)

Many people might be surprised to see last year’s main event in this position on the card, but what this match and it’s end result represents makes it a bonafide contender for the top ten. Look back at the build to WrestleMania XXX and watch how Daniel Bryan grows to astronomical levels of over with the crowd. This match is here because it represents how Bryan went from being a mid-card, B+ player, to being THE guy. He went from being reportedly in a mid-card match on the card, to wrestling in both the opener and main event and walking out with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. What happened at WrestleMania XXX is special and despite what happened later with injuries, set backs, and Vince’s hard-on with Roman Reigns, nothing can take away from this moment and how one guy rose above his position on the card to capture the love of the crowd and force the company to make him the champ. The match itself was awesome too, and Orton and Big Dave deserve this spot as we’ll not just for this match but for who they are and what they mean to the company.

And with that, we’re down to our top 5. Think of it as a quintuple main event. You may not agree with the order, but I think you’ll agree that all of my top 5 matches are more than worthy of being where they are. Come back and read the 6th and final part on Thursday. I’ll see ya then!

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/03/24/wwe-wrestlemania-30th-anniversary-card-part-5/feed/0WWE WrestleMania 30th Anniversary Card: Part 1http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/03/10/wwe-wrestlemania-30th-anniversary-card-part-1/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/03/10/wwe-wrestlemania-30th-anniversary-card-part-1/#respondTue, 10 Mar 2015 13:27:13 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=17130Over the last couple of weeks, I sat down and compiled a 30 match card to celebrate 30 years of WrestleMania (fun fact: the 30th anniversary of WrestleMania I is actually the night after this year’s Mania). This is not the top 30 matches in WrestleMania history. This is a 30th Anniversary Card, and because ...

]]>Over the last couple of weeks, I sat down and compiled a 30 match card to celebrate 30 years of WrestleMania (fun fact: the 30th anniversary of WrestleMania I is actually the night after this year’s Mania). This is not the top 30 matches in WrestleMania history. This is a 30th Anniversary Card, and because it’s a card and not a list, no person appears more than once. That is the challenge of this series.

I’ll reveal a smidgen of my card by telling you that my favorite Mania match, the Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels Ironman Match, is not on this card. Why? Because the people I ultimately paired each of them with didn’t fit well elsewhere and those people deserved to be on the card. This scenario comes up a few times, and I’ll explain things more for each of those scenarios. This is harder than it looks. Not being able to use a person more than once really limits your options, especially for people that only have a few Mania appearances. To give you an idea of how difficult this was for me, I almost didn’t have a match for Cena! Almost…

I’ll be revealing the card over the next few weeks. This week will be matches 30-26, the order is based on where I feel the matches should be placed on the card. This is where I essentially rank the matches that I’ve chosen. You’ll notice that some matches are chosen simply because I wanted to make sure a particular individual or team made the card and not necessarily because it’s an amazing match. These fill the undercard whereas the higher quality matches are further up the card.

While challenging, I had a lot of fun doing this. It erased any doubt that I’m a wrestling nerd. If you want to embrace your inner-nerd, I encourage you to make your own 30th Anniversary Card and share them with us here at Between the Ropes in the comments below. Now, if I haven’t confused you too bad, let’s get to this. You’ll pick up on what this is all about as we move forward. Now, for our opening contest:

30. Gimmick Battle Royal (X-Seven) (3:07)

This seems like as good a match as any to kick things off. This match might be the worst worked match of all time at Mania that doesn’t contain a non-wrestler. Despite that, the appearance of so many legends (19 in all) in one match is something that cannot be duplicated. There was a small window for a match like this, with legends from this era, to take place and the WWE struck while the proverbial iron was hot. It’s a fun stroll down memory lane and a great way to whet the appetite for some of the other great names in the business who will appear throughout this card. Also, the fact that I could find a 19 person battle royal where none of the participants wrestled in any of the other 29 matches on the card is kind of amazing. This match is one of a kind (literally, as there’s never been another Gimmick Battle Royal) and fits perfectly on a card celebrating 30 years of a one of a kind event like WrestleMania.

29. Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger (XXIV) (10:30)

The 29th WrestleMania wasn’t the greatest show. In fact, the show itself is really overshadowed by the following night’s Raw where the crowd in the IZOD Center basically hijacked the show and made it a moment never to forget. It’s unfortunate, because the two men involved in this match are more remembered for their roles on said Raw, with Swagger attacking Del Rio’s ankle allowing Dolph Ziggler to cash in Money in the Bank and win the World’s Title, than they are for their Mania match. While not a top 10 match, both men put forth a great effort and I feel like Del Rio’s great work throughout his 4 year run with the company warranted him a spot somewhere on this card. It’s also unfortunate that Del Rio never really had a WrestleMania moment during his run. Nevertheless, he’s earned a spot on this card and Swagger gets brought along with him.

28. The Brain Busters vs. Strike Force (V) (9:17)

I believe Arn Anderson may be the most underrated wrestler of his era. Solid on promos, a great look, and a workhorse in the ring, Double A had everything you’d want in a pro wrestler. This match at the 5th “show of shows” is Arn’s only WrestleMania appearance (same goes for his partner, Tully Blanchard, another guy I feel is undeservedly overlooked for his accomplishments). Because of this, I have included this match on my card. It may not be a great tag match, with the focus being solely on Santana and Martel’s dissolution, but it does feature some nice spots from the former Horsemen. I wish Arn had other Mania matches to choose from, but he doesn’t. Due to who he is, I had to include this one.

27. Ted DiBiase vs. Jake Roberts (VI) (11:50)

This might be the first “sleeper” I encountered on this card. I honestly didn’t remember these two ever faced each other at a WrestleMania. Both guys played a huge part in the Federation’s success at that time and both deserve a spot on a Mania card. But I feel like this match is worthy of a spot on the card without the “they need a spot” factor. The finish keeps this from being a classic, but it’s a solid match, featuring two great characters. It’s a shame it’s been forgotten.

26. WrestleMania XX World Tag 4 Way (XX) (7:52)

I could not for the life of me figure out how to get the Dudley Boys on this card. I felt like with the work they’ve done in the WWF/E they deserved a spot. Their TLC Match at X-Seven is probably a top 5 Mania match. Unfortunately, I had other plans for the other guys in that match, particularly Edge and Christian. Since I was using them elsewhere, I couldn’t use the TLC match. This limited my options. I went with this match because it also gives Booker T (who doesn’t have an impressive Mania resume) and RVD on the card. The match itself isn’t that bad and fits very well as the 5th match on this card. Unfortunately this isn’t a classic match, it’s actually a bit chaotic, and is here because it gives The Dudley’s, Booker, and Van Dam a well deserved spot on the card. It’s good enough to do that.

Well, there’s the first 5 matches. You’ll eventually notice the number of these “I just wanted to get ‘so and so’ on the card” matches starts to decrease moving forward. I hope you can see the difficulty of doing this, since I can’t use a guy twice. Hopefully you liked this enough to stick around for parts 2-6 over the next few weeks. Part 2 will be out this Thursday if all goes as planned. I’ll see ya then.

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/03/10/wwe-wrestlemania-30th-anniversary-card-part-1/feed/031 WrestleMania Matches From The New Generation Erahttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/03/05/31-wrestlemania-matches-from-the-new-generation-era/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/03/05/31-wrestlemania-matches-from-the-new-generation-era/#respondThu, 05 Mar 2015 20:32:48 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=17070We’re 24 days away from WrestleMania 31 from Santa Clara, California. We’re are going to be releasing a playlist of the best 31 WrestleMania matches from the New Generation of the WWE. Here’s a quick stat for you guys, there was actually 31 WrestleMania matches from WrestleMania 10 to WrestleMania 13 which is the era ...

]]>We’re 24 days away from WrestleMania 31 from Santa Clara, California. We’re are going to be releasing a playlist of the best 31 WrestleMania matches from the New Generation of the WWE. Here’s a quick stat for you guys, there was actually 31 WrestleMania matches from WrestleMania 10 to WrestleMania 13 which is the era we’re covering in this column. We’ll try our best to make this list as unique, interesting and fun as possible, but as always these list pieces are subjective. This is a great opportunity for all of you great wrestling fans to check out great matches from the past on the WWE Network. If you have your own favorite WrestleMania matches from this era comment below.

WARNING: Sometimes the Daily Motion Videos go blank, so I wasn’t able to post entire verison of the matches on this list. If there’s a match that’s represented by a picture in the list and you want to watch the match it should be on the WWE Network.

31.) The Ultimate Warrior vs. Triple H w/Sable

30.) Earthquake vs. Adam Bomb

29.) Lex Luger & The British Bulldog vs. The Blu Brothers

28.) Rockabilly vs. Flash Funk

27.) The Bodydonnas vs. The Godwinns

26.) Men on Mission vs. The Quebecers for the WWF World Tag Team Championship

25.) Bam Bam Bigelow & Luna Vachon vs. Doink The Clown & Dink

24.) The Rock vs. The Sultan for the WWF Intercontinental Championship

I hope you guys enjoyed this list. This was a difficult task because this era was filled with the worst WrestleMania’s ever. I tried to mix the list it up to where I could have the matches that would play to the favor of today’s wrestling audience and the old-school wrestling fans. The list was formed out of historical significance, story telling, and match quality. It’s a subjective list there’s no right or wrong answer, but at the same time I would like to hear back from you guys. Next week we’ll take a look at the Attitude Era.

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/03/05/31-wrestlemania-matches-from-the-new-generation-era/feed/0Shawn Michaels Talks New Book “Wrestling for My Life”, Thoughts of a Return and Mending Fenceshttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/02/12/shawn-michaels-talks-new-book-wrestling-life-thoughts-return-mending-fences/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/02/12/shawn-michaels-talks-new-book-wrestling-life-thoughts-return-mending-fences/#commentsThu, 12 Feb 2015 19:43:00 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=16673WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels talks about his new book “Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality and the Faith of a WWE Superstar” which is now available, when he got the idea for doing the book and why it was important for him, his faith being tested when he made his WWE ...

]]>WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels talks about his new book “Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality and the Faith of a WWE Superstar” which is now available, when he got the idea for doing the book and why it was important for him, his faith being tested when he made his WWE comeback, mending fences with Bret Hart and others including The Undertaker and Steve Austin, what it’s like for him to be on Raw these days, Vince McMahon being upset about the way he dresses, still be asked for a return match and one good idea he received that intrigued him, thoughts on a match against Daniel Bryan following their storyline and more.

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2015/02/12/shawn-michaels-talks-new-book-wrestling-life-thoughts-return-mending-fences/feed/1Top 5 Survivor Series PPV Matches From The New Generationhttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/11/04/top-5-survivor-series-ppv-matches-new-generation/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/11/04/top-5-survivor-series-ppv-matches-new-generation/#respondTue, 04 Nov 2014 18:01:00 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=15065Coming off the heels of a pretty interesting edition of RAW, there seems to be at least some added interest into this year’s Survivor Series PPV. As promotion for this year’s Survivor Series PPV the “Top 5” series is back on the site to cover the best Survivor Series PPV matches from all the eras ...

]]>Coming off the heels of a pretty interesting edition of RAW, there seems to be at least some added interest into this year’s Survivor Series PPV. As promotion for this year’s Survivor Series PPV the “Top 5” series is back on the site to cover the best Survivor Series PPV matches from all the eras of the WWE. If you missed last week’s list with the Top 5 Survivor Series matches from the 80’s click here. Today we will look back at the best Survivor Series matches from the “New Generation” Era which is during the years of 1993-1997. Love some feedback on the list and hope you enjoy it.

5.) Survivor Series 1994: Casket Match The Undertaker vs. Yokozuna

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFZSPLg5zps

What made this match standout to me ? These massive superstars had tremendous chemistry with each other. Let’s say for todays product you had The Undertaker vs. Yokozuna on a Raw, maybe some people would frown upon that match, because it wouldn’t have all the suicide dives and 450 splashes that you would get from a PWG match. Regardless, What made this a great match to me? Not only the two competitors in the ring worked well each other, but there was great in-ring pshycology in a gimmick match. Despite the over the top play by play from Vince McMahon and the random involvement of Chuck Norris, the casket match between The Undertaker and Yokozuna is a match you’ll never forget.

In late 1997, you really started to see the big push for UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock. Also during that time period you seen the rise of “The Rock”. Obviously, the 1997 Survivor Series will always be remembered for the “Montreal Screwjob” and we’ll cover that later in the article, but to me one of the best Survivor Series PPV matches during the New Generation era and also the most underrated Survivor Series Elimination Match of all-time was this match. I loved this traditional Survivor Series match because, you had a group of bad asses in the Road Warriors, Ahmed Johnson and Ken Shamrock going against one of the most underrated heel factions of all-time “The Nation of Domination.” I encourage the fans of BTR to go on the Network if you have it and watch this match and let me know what you think.

Even though the year of 1995 ranks up there with one of the worst year’s for the WWE, this was one of the few spotlights. This was one hell of main event match; Bret always brought good storyline and psychology into a match and Diesel played his part well and sold the legwork, surprise and anger in the loss. This was the transition into the tweener Diesel that he used up until he left for WCW and continued into the nWo later into 1996. This was my favorite Diesel match during his time in the WWF before left to WCW and he showed that he deserved to be in the main event scene during the New Generation. I think the No DQ stipulation really helped this match alot, but also having Bret Hart in the match also brought in phenomenal in-ring psychology.

I’m pretty sure I would have my head rip off by now if I didn’t have this match on the list especially during this era. There’s been so many soliloquies and diatribes on this match. To have one of the most personal feuds in the history of professional wrestling end in that fashion was a moment in time that you’ll never forget. I don’t need to state the obvious with background to this feud we all know what’s going on by now. I know some people say that particular match wasn’t earth shattering, but I thought this was one of their best matches. Was it better than their WrestleMania XII match? No, but I thought for that moment and what it was going to represent, Shawn and Bret did a phenomneal job before what eventually became the most important part of the match. This was a feud and moment you’ll never forget and for some of the newer fans of BTR that you don’t have that much knowledge of this feud and what it represents for the history of this company, I advise that you watch this match and also the “Greatest Rivalries Documentary” which was briliantly produced and was also moderated by Jim Ross.

Hart vs. Austin encompasses many elements of what a main event match should be but I think JR, who was fantastic on commentary putting over both wrestlers and the match as a tremendous deal, astutely pointed out the match is about wrestling, competition, intensity, and drama. I appreciate how Austin and Hart captured a real competitive feel when they fought. When the performers can make me suspend disbelief I can become more enthralled with the action. Hart and Austin’s chemistry together is phenomenal. They kept it highly competitive and both displayed greatness in this classic match. When it comes to one-on-one main event Survivor Series PPV matches this was the best one.

That’s a wrap for this list, I hope you enjoy it, and would love to hear some feedback. On Thursday, we’ll take a look back at everybody’s favorite era “The Attitude Era.”

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/11/04/top-5-survivor-series-ppv-matches-new-generation/feed/0Top 5 Survivor Series PPV Matches From The Golden Erahttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/10/30/top-5-survivor-series-ppv-matches-golden-era/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/10/30/top-5-survivor-series-ppv-matches-golden-era/#respondThu, 30 Oct 2014 19:38:52 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=14934While it’s been nice doing these live articles on RAW, SmackDown, Main Event, NXT, Impact and etc, it’s time to bring back the Top 5 series here on Between The Ropes. We’re on the road to the 28th annual Survivor Series PPV on November 23, 2014 on the WWE Network. In our last Top 5 ...

]]>While it’s been nice doing these live articles on RAW, SmackDown, Main Event, NXT, Impact and etc, it’s time to bring back the Top 5 series here on Between The Ropes. We’re on the road to the 28th annual Survivor Series PPV on November 23, 2014 on the WWE Network. In our last Top 5 series promoting Night of Champions we talked about the Top 5 WWE Championship Matches from all the era’s of the WWE. In this series, we will have a Top 5 Survivor Series PPV match list, but here’s the added bonus, IT WILL ALSO INCLUDE TITLE MATCHES. So, this is going to be fun and interesting. I hope you guys enjoy this series and if there’s any changes you would have on the list comment below. Today’s list will consist of the best Survivor Series PPV matches from the 80’s. Let’s get to it.

5.) Survivor Series 1989: The Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Demolition and Jake Roberts) vs. The Million Dollar Team (Ted DiBiase, The Powers of Pain and Zeus)

I had to pick at least one Chicago Survivor Series match. WWF was in a interesting time in 1989, they just released the “No Holds Barred” movie with Hulk Hogan and Tony Lister aka Zeus. Zeus made his WWF debut on Saturday’s Night Main Event on March 27, 1989 and also took on Hulk Hogan in a tag team match at SummerSlam playing the muscle for “Macho Man” Randy Savage who was feuding with Hogan at the time over the WWF Championship. You had the Powers of Pain colliding with Demolition and also a brewing feud with Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Ted DiBiase. I thought the match was pretty good especially with the personal issues that were brewing between Hogan/Zeus and Roberts/DiBiase. Was it a Ring of Honor type of match no, but you do get emotionally invested in this match.

4.) Survivor Series 1987: Strike Force, The Young Stallions, The Fabulous Rougeaus, The Killer Bees and The British Bulldogs vs. The Hart Foundation, The Islanders, Demolition, The Bolsheviks, The Dream Team

How can you not love a match let alone a tag team elimination match with 40 people in it? This match had alot of good things going for them. You’re combining all the great tag teams into one match. Also in this match there was fantastic technical wrestling especially with the fact you have teams like Strike Force, The Fabulous Rougeaus, The British Bulldogs and The Hart Foundation in it. Folks if you have the WWE Network please go back and watch this match.

3.) Survivor Series 1988: The Powers of Pain, The Rockers, The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation, The Young Stallions vs. Demolition, The Brain Busters, The Bolsheviks, The Fabulous Rougeaus and The Conquistadors

In the 1980’s it was about the larger than life of superstars. I was born in the early mid 1990’s and while doing my research I’ve always enjoyed the technical wrestling in the 80’s more than I enjoyed the big man matches. In this match you seen seven of the greatest tag teams in WWE history in one match. Looking at this match in a baseball aspect you had one team with major power hitters like Demolition and The Brian Busters alongside a very good technical tag team The Rougeaus. Then on the other team you had one power hitter in the Powers of Pain and the next to them you have three of the best WWE tag teams of all-time The Rockers, The British Bulldogs and The Hart Foundation. This is one of my personal favorite matches of all-time when it comes to the Golden Era of WWE. Can’t find a full video on this match, but if you have the network check it out.

What made this match stand out to me is that you finally got the opportunity to see some of the young talent get the opportunity to main event a PPV during a time you never thought Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart would be main eventers. While there obviously was alot controversy in their second WWF Championship Match at Survivor Series 5 years later, this one to me was the better match. Michaels was building alot of momentum at the time after turning on his tag-team partner Marty Jannetty and winning the Intercontinental Championship, and Hart was enjoying his first reign as WWF Champion. This match was great 25 minute technical masterpiece.

1.) Survivor Series 1990: The Million Dollar Team (Ted DiBiase, The Undertaker and Rhythm and Blues) vs. The Dream Team (Dusty Rhodes, Koko B. Ware and The Hart Foundation)

Not only was this my favorite Survivor Series match from the Golden Era, this was the night The Undertaker debuted in the WWF. You had a big personal feud going into the match with Ted DiBiase and Dusty Rhodes. The Hart Foundation and Rhythm Blues was in the match, so you knew you were going to get tremendous in-ring action, adding to that you had the debut of the greatest character of all-time The Undertaker. While Undertaker did get eliminated in this match, you can’t deny the fact that he made a major impact in his debut. DiBiase was the sole survivor in this match.

That’s a wrap for this list, hope you guys enjoyed it. Love to hear some feedback. The next list will come out on Monday as I will talk about the Top 5 Survivor Series PPV matches from the New Generation.

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/10/30/top-5-survivor-series-ppv-matches-golden-era/feed/0Why WWE Fans Should Be Thankful For Canadahttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/10/14/wwe-fans-thankful-canada/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/10/14/wwe-fans-thankful-canada/#respondTue, 14 Oct 2014 12:34:43 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=14548On Monday it was Thanksgiving in Canada. So in that spirit, let’s talk about some of the Canadian wrestlers that we can all be thankful for getting into a WWE ring. Let’s start with a female that Jim Ross called Canada’s greatest export. Trish Stratus always has had the looks but during her time there, ...

]]>On Monday it was Thanksgiving in Canada. So in that spirit, let’s talk about some of the Canadian wrestlers that we can all be thankful for getting into a WWE ring.

Let’s start with a female that Jim Ross called Canada’s greatest export. Trish Stratus always has had the looks but during her time there, she became a good in-ring competitor and worker. She should be a role model of what a diva or female competitor can be, as far as a wrestler in terms of her hard work. Trish did Canada proud in being the female with the most title reigns in WWE history, with nine Women’s Title runs including in her retirement match against Lita in front of her hometown fans in Toronto at Unforgiven in 2006.

The Toronto area also produced the lovable daredevil duo of Edge and Christian. They actually started as mysterious, gothic figures that never talked but grew to be part of a tag-team revival in the WWE with the Dudley’s and Hardy’s that produced some of the most crazy, risk-filled matches in the history of the sport. The two would eventually break apart and have successful singles careers and along the way would be two of the WWE’s best comedic performers at times as well. Edge was forced to retire several years back due to injury and is now in the WWE Hall of Fame. Christian remains with the company and could wrestle according to some reports but is being held out of action after dealing with a concussion that has sidelined him for quite some time. Perhaps no two performers from Canada have given more of their bodies to this business than these two with all the many risks and blows they took over the years. They did it to be noticed, they were, and it allowed them to have long careers with many great moments along the way.

You can’t talk about Canada and pro wrestling without mentioning the Hart Family. Bret was the most successful of the group but his career is tied to one singular event more than anything else he did. The Montreal Screw Job you have to include when telling the story of Hart, Shawn Michaels and even Vince McMahon. His rivalry with Michaels is arguably one of the greatest of all time. Hart was the face of the companies “New Generation” and had classic matches with almost anyone they paired him with to wrestle.

Following in those large footprints was Owen Hart who at first attempted to enter the company as the masked Blue Blazer. Making it easier to no be caught in that shadow and allowing Owen to show his skills. He would lose the gimmick and the mask and have a fantastic feud with his brother and an all-time classic match to open WrestleMania 10. That feud lasted for some time before they came together as the Hart Foundation with brother in-laws British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart and family friend Brian Pillman. Owen was arguably just as skilled as Bret in the ring, but much more fun loving and far less concerned with his legacy. Sadly, that legacy will be tied to his premature death in fall at the WWE Over the Edge pay-per-view.

Chris Jericho is also one of us. Not the typical Canadian as he brags often and will be the first to tell you he was this first undisputed champion and beat The Rock and Steve Austin to do that in the same night. Before his days in WWE, he built a decent career in WCW and he was and still is at the core of it all entertaining. Jericho is a good worker in the ring but in some ways is an even better entertainer. He spends more time away from the WWE than in it these days until recently. His rock band Fozzy has taken off and is a success in its own right with songs making the charts and developing its own fan base.

There are many stars that were never billed from Canada but were in fact were Canadian. Perhaps, the most famous of those, the crazy man Rowdy Roddy Piper. He now calls Oregon home but he originally came from here.

The Canadian Football League has been the home for many guys that ended up being big stars in wrestling. Guys like Lex Luger as an example. Perhaps the most famous being Dwayne Johnson, a defensive lineman from Miami that tried out for the Calgary Stampeders. He would not make it and he would decide to take up the family business of pro wrestling. That’s when The Rock was born and go on to astronomical success in the WWE and now in his career in Hollywood.

Roman Reigns had a little more success than his cousin who never played a game in the CFL. Reigns played in five games for ironically the Stampeders rivals the Edmonton Eskimos.

There has been a massive gap in Canadian stars after Edge’s forced retirement. Christian is still there but he would soon not be around as much due to injuries. Jericho has been in and out of the WWE over the past few years. Natalya is around but not being used prior to Total Divas. Her husband Tyson Kidd was hurt until returning in the last year but has not been used much on the main roster but has been a big part of NXT in the last few months.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Steen have made their way from the independents to WWE developmental. In addition, some Canadian content on the broadcasting side with Renee Young and Kyle Edwards who worked up here, hosting a wrestling show for The Score television network among other things. Young has been a rock star since arriving doing more and more things in her short time with the company. Edwards was just recently hired and we will see what the future holds for him in the company.

The point to all of this is if you are Canadian or not, we all owe Canada many thanks for its contributions to the WWE over the years.

Hope you had Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadians out there and best wishes to all of you and your families. Here is hoping you enjoyed the food and family.

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/10/14/wwe-fans-thankful-canada/feed/0The New WWE Book “30 Years of WrestleMania” Reviewhttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/09/22/new-wwe-book-30-years-wrestlemania-review/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/09/22/new-wwe-book-30-years-wrestlemania-review/#respondMon, 22 Sep 2014 06:00:43 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=14009Have you considered yourself a wrestling historian? Have you ever wanted to know the strategy behind, some of your favorite WrestleMania’s like 3, 12, 14, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 28 and etc? The “30 Years of WrestleMania” is a MUST HAVE for any die-hard and passionate professional wrestling fan, and of the best ...

]]>Have you considered yourself a wrestling historian? Have you ever wanted to know the strategy behind, some of your favorite WrestleMania’s like 3, 12, 14, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 28 and etc? The “30 Years of WrestleMania” is a MUST HAVE for any die-hard and passionate professional wrestling fan, and of the best WWE books of all-time.

Sit back and take a journey through the astonishing history of the biggest spectacle in sports-entertainment and professional wrestling history with “30 Years of WrestleMania.”

The hardcover book gives WWE fans the greatest in-depth look at how the annual event became a global phenomenon. Plus you get in depth stories about every match that was on a WrestleMania card. Who would the special guest celebrities? Where would WrestleMania be located? How the WWE come up with WrestleMania Main Events like Hogan vs. Andre, Hogan vs. Warrior, Hart vs. Michaels and etc.

Just looking at the cover of the book which features such WWE Superstars and Hall of Famers like John Cena, Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Triple H, The Undertaker, Randy Savage, The Rock, Ultimate Warrior, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin is worth price of admission. If I was walking around at Barnes & Noble and I saw this cover of the book I will definently take a glance at it because the cover of the book is awesome and really shows who were the real icons in the WWE.

Vince McMahon put his career and lively hood on the line when he decided to host the first edition of WrestleMania on March 31, 1985 at Madison Square Garden. The idea, the hard work, and the overall show payoff and was ultimately the laying ground for what WrestleMania and the WWE would become.

For those who’ve enjoyed “WWE 50” and “WWE Encyclopedia” will absolutely be blown away by this book.The vibrant photos pop off the page and provide eye-catching visuals to the stories told within each chapter.

“Mr. WrestleMania” Shawn Michaels wrote the foreword to this book, which was written by New York Times best selling author Brian Shields, who has worked on many WWE literary projects in the past, and Dean Miller. Brian and Dean did a great job providing the background info on each of the 30 WrestleMania cards. The book also have special sections honoring the entire WWE Hall of Fame, Shawn Michaels, the evolution of Triple H, and The Streak of the Undertaker.

The book also features quotes from Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart sharing their stories about how WrestleMania came together, the promotional and marketing that came with each of the WrestleMania’s, and how the locker room was heading into WrestleMania’s in the five era’s of the WWE. The 80’s, The New Generation, The Attitude Era, The Ruthless Agression Era, and the WWE Universe Era.

Whether you’ve never missed a ‘Mania or you are new to the WWE, 30 Years of WrestleMania is guaranteed to enhance your fanhood and enrich your enjoyment of WWE’s annual worldwide phenomenon. Not only is this one of the best WWE books, it’s one of the best wrestling books of all-time.

I’ve recently got to interview Brian Shields on my radio show the Pro Wrestling Experience and we talked about the book, what was some of his favorite WrestleMania’s and what does Brian want fans to take away from this book.

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/09/22/new-wwe-book-30-years-wrestlemania-review/feed/0Top 5 WWE Championship Matches From The New Generation Erahttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/09/11/top-5-wwe-championship-matches-new-generation-era/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/09/11/top-5-wwe-championship-matches-new-generation-era/#respondThu, 11 Sep 2014 19:12:16 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=13689If you missed the previous top five article covering the five best WWE Championship Matches from the Attitude Era click here Here we are it’s another Thursday on BetweenTheRopes.com and the WWE Championship series continues. With NXT Take Over 2 taking place tonight on the WWE Network, I think it’s only right to continue the ...

]]>If you missed the previous top five article covering the five best WWE Championship Matches from the Attitude Era click here

Here we are it’s another Thursday on BetweenTheRopes.com and the WWE Championship series continues. With NXT Take Over 2 taking place tonight on the WWE Network, I think it’s only right to continue the WWE Championship series with the Top 5 WWE Championship Matches from the “New Generation Era.”

The New Generation Era took place from 1993-1997. Admist of controversy with the federal government and losing superstars like Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Ric Flair and Randy Savage to WCW in the early 1990’s, the then WWF decided to take a leap of faith and focus on the current regime of Superstars such as Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Razor Ramon, Diesel and The Undertaker. The days of the larger than life superstars were gone and the days of tremendous in-ring work became a center piece of the WWF. Especially with debut of Monday Night Raw, the WWF needed to create a new presentation of their product as society was changing over time. During the New Generation Era, the WWF continue to create a bunch of outlandish characters, but they weren’t getting the feedback that they were expecting. Even though the New Generation Era may be one of the worst era in the history of the WWE, the 5 matches that you will see on this list will make the New Generation worthwhile at the end of the day.

During the summer of 1997 Bret Hart was admist of his major heel run as the Anti-American that was obssesed with the WWF Championship that he never lost. During a interview with Vince McMahon who was only the commentator at the time, Hart told McMahon that if he doesn’t win the WWF Championship back at SummerSlam he will never wrestle on American soil again. The next week Hart’s arch rival Shawn Michaels requested that he also wanted to be part of SummerSlam to make sure that the Hart Foundation doesn’t screw The Undertaker out of the WWF Championship. There was so many different angles colliding at the same time, you had Stone Cold going after Owen Hart, Mankind took on Michael’s DX partner Triple H, Goldust seeked retribution on Brian Pillman, Ken Shamrock took on the British Bulldog and of course you have the personal issue between Michaels and Hart. So heading into SummerSlam 1997, The Undertaker was becoming a afterthought and he was the current WWF Champion at the time.

So at SummerSlam, Hart and The Undertaker were admist of 28 minute collision course. Undertaker looking to retain the championship and Hart was looking to get back the title he never lost, but also having to deal with his arch nemesis being the special guest referee in the match. Hart was in control of the match and then he started butting heads with Michaels. The Undertaker broke out of two sharpshooters and Michaels was trying to get rid of the chair that Bret brought into the ring and then Hart begged Michaels to hit him with the chair, but Michaels accidentally striked the Undertaker and Hart capitalized on Michaels mistake on won the WWF Championship for the 5th time in his career.

4.) SummerSlam 1994~Steel Cage Match Bret Hart (c) vs. Owen Hart

The biggest storyline at SummerSlam began at the 1993 Survivor Series when Owen Hart was eliminated from the “Hart Brothers vs. Shawn Michaels and His Knights” elimination match due to miscommunication within the Hart team. Bret lost to Owen in the opening match at WrestleMania X but defeated Yokozuna later in the pay-per-view to win the WWF Championship. Jim Neidhart, Bret and Owen’s real-life brother-in-law, became involved at King of the Ring 1994 by aligning himself with Owen Hart. To settle the feud, Bret and Owen were booked to face each other in a Steel Cage Match at SummerSlam.

The majority of match between the Hart brothers consist of brawling and throwing each other face first to the steel. There was a couple of sequences when Bret would pull Owen down from the cage and vice versa. As Owen tried to escape the cage Bret came up and suplex him off the top of the cage. Owen recovered and performed the Sharpshooter on Bret, but Bret would countered Owen and put him in the Sharpshooter. The match came to a end when Bret throw Owen head first to the cage and as he was going down Owen’s leg’s got traped in between the ropes and that allowed Bret to climb up the cage and retain the WWF Championship.

At In Your House 4, Hart served as the guest commentator during Diesel’s title defense against British Bulldog. Hart interfered in the match by attacking Bulldog. As a result, Diesel was disqualified and thus retained the title. As a result of the circumstances, on October 30 edition of Raw, the WWF President Gorilla Monsoon signed a WWF Championship match between Diesel and Hart to take place at Survivor Series. Diesel and Hart had faced off for the title two times before, at the 1994 King of the Ring (which Diesel won by disqualification), and the 1995 Royal Rumble (which ended in a draw due to outside interference). With those two matches both ending in disqualifications, Monsoon added a No Disqualification stipulation to this rematch.

Bret Hart and Diesel was one of the best rivalries in the New Generation Era. You had two totally different superstars putting on tremendous matches for the biggest prize in the WWE. Survivor Series 1995 was no expection another tremendous performance from Diesel and Bret Hart concluded when Diesel attempted the Jacknife Powerbomb, but Hart counterd Diesel and small packaged him to win the WWF Championship.

2.) In Your House: Mind Games (1996)~ Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Mankind

A match that Mick Foley would, for a very long time, consider to be the best he ever wrestled, also happens to be one of the best matches that Shawn Michaels has ever put on. It’s also fair to say that it was something of an unexpected result: the two men’s styles were hardly complimentary, but like the matches preceding this, it allowed Shawn to play the “face in peril” whilst also showing that he could go at it a lot rougher than people may have expected. The commentary team noted the aggressive side of Michaels, who kept pressure on Mankind – who then retreated for a “pep talk” from the dastardly Paul Bearer on the outside again. If there was one other impressive sidenote to the match, it’s that Foley’s character work was impeccable, staying in the deranged state perfectly throughout.

Shawn would soon give up control of the match though as Mankind overpowered him, even resorting to tactics such as biting Michaels as he writhed on the mat. The pace of the match drastically slowed down at this point, raising the drama stakes as he did so; Mankind’s power came across as he was able to boot Shawn over the top rope easily. With chairs in the ring and the referee distracted, Mankind looked set to fly from the top rope with a chair – only for Michaels to land a Van Daminator-style Sweet Chin Music. It should have ended the match, but the contest was brought to an abrupt close when Vader interfered. Whilst there was no clean result that the match perhaps really deserved, it was without a doubt an incredible contest that proved a lot about Shawn Michaels. His performance in the match and his ability to adapt to a much more aggressive style would obviously suit him well and proved that, whilst he was smaller than many of the previous WWF Champions at the time, he still had the ability to take out a much bigger man and beat him at his own game.A rare classic that anyone should watch to see a great performance from two legends of the sport.

1.) WrestleMania 12~ Iron Man Match Bret Hart (c) vs. Shawn Michaels

After a memorable angle on Raw in which he passed out in the center of the ring during a match with Bret’s brother Owen Hart and having his career called into question, Michaels triumphantly returned at the 1996 Royal Rumble in January and outlasted 29 other Superstars to earn a shot at the WWE Championship.After both Michaels and Hart made it through February’s In Your House VI pay-per-view, it became official: The two most popular stars in the industry would meet in the main event of WrestleMania for the greatest prize in sports entertainment.Two of the best in-ring workers in the business, a decision was made to add a stipulation to the bout: The WWE Championship would be contested in the first-ever 60-Minute Iron Man match in which the winner would be the man to score the most decisions over the other in the span of an hour.

One hour is a long time for any wrestling match, especially when it takes up one-third of an entire pay-per-view broadcast.Unless the two Superstars involved are skilled enough to not only carry the action for the entire hour-long period but also keep the audience invested, the results could be disastrous.Hart and Michaels were two of the very best wrestlers on the planet by the time their match rolled around, and they did an excellent job of keeping the WWE faithful inside the Anaheim Pond interested in the story they were telling. What they produced on that night in California was, and still is, one of the greatest matches in both WWE and WrestleMania history.With that said, the style they utilized makes the match an acquired taste. For those fans raised in the fast-paced Attitude Era, watching a match like Hart-Michaels may be a chore. It was very long; it poured over into an overtime period and featured a great deal of mat-based action.

It was alot of fun getting to watch these matches on the WWE Network. I didn’t have a clear memory of these matches and feuds because I was born in 1994, so I was really looking forward to making this list. Like any of the others list I’ve made in this series just choosing 5 matches from a specific era is really hard to and it’s all subjective at the end of the day. I hope you guys enjoy this article. We’re 10 days away from WWE Night of Champions and the final part of this series will feature the Top 5 WWE Championship matches from the “Golden Era.”

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/09/11/top-5-wwe-championship-matches-new-generation-era/feed/02K WWE SuperCard Reviewhttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/09/02/2k-wwe-supercard-review/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/09/02/2k-wwe-supercard-review/#respondTue, 02 Sep 2014 16:02:17 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=133712K Sports recently released an interactive card game available for download across IOS and Android operating systems featuring the WWE called “WWE SuperCard”. It’s pretty much identical to the NBA 2K14 card game 2K Sports put out earlier in the year and yours truly has played enough to give his two cents. First and foremost, ...

]]>2K Sports recently released an interactive card game available for download across IOS and Android operating systems featuring the WWE called “WWE SuperCard”. It’s pretty much identical to the NBA 2K14 card game 2K Sports put out earlier in the year and yours truly has played enough to give his two cents.

First and foremost, the whole idea of the game is weird. I get the idea behind some cards being better than others – after all, John Cena is probably better than R-Truth no matter how you shake it. But what’s weird is that there are varying degrees of each performer. So a purple Cena is better than a blue, a lighter purple is better than the darker purple and yellow trumps all.

Now, before I continue, let me further elaborate and then pick a bone. The cards have different titles and values. The commons are just that, the uncommons the next step up, then the rare, super rare, ultra rare, epic and legendary. The latter two are especially hard to obtain if you’re just playing the game; I’ve played nearly 3,000 games and have yet to get a yellow card (epic is gold-ish, Legendary is yellow). Then again, you can always purchase one if you just can’t wait to get one. Note: you should never do this because it will make you a sad, sad person.

As for the problem with that scheme: it’s who gets what that is the issue. As you get higher up the chain, each card comes with a “special move”. It’s one of their in-ring abilities, but it comes with heavy plusses to one specific category (speed, power, toughness, charisma). The problem with that is certain performers would never, ever be considered legendary, yet there they are. Cameron, the shrieking, annoying ex-Funcadactyl has a legendary card while the actually-legendary Andre the Giant does not. I probably don’t need to explain why that’s an issue. I get limiting the selection of who makes it to legendary status, but how about not making a few crappy divas get up to that level over actual legends?

The game play is pretty straight forward: you get a “deck” of five cards (four superstars and a diva) and you basically try to match them up by category. If you get power, you try to pick your guy with the highest number. It’s like this for all four categories.

You can improve your superstars by “training” them. Each card and level have corresponding tiers (rare cards can get up to level 15, for instance) that you can train your card to, making their stats better. You do this by basically taking other, crappier cards that you’d never ever use and merging them into your better card. That’s right: two Eva Marie’s can now make your Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat a pro? I know, it hurts my head, too.

Not only that, but the selection of superstars is fairly limited. Sure, you get all the stars of today, but the past superstars is highly limited. There’s Rock, Stone Cold, Andre, Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels, but no Bret Hart, Mick Foley, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, etc. That’s not to mention the huge missed opportunity by adding WCW and ECW stars, but there’s probably some licensing issues behind that so I can’t fully blame 2KSports. There are supposedly updates on the way, so hopefully that includes an expanded roster and the ability to trade or challenge opponents (right now, you can only play the completely non-interactive King of the Ring or just play a random assortment of players in the exhibition feature).

On the whole, this game is basic as basic can be and lacking in a lot of areas. Yet I cannot stop playing it. I don’t get it. This should have gotten boring for me after about 20 games, but I’m nearly 3k deep and there are no signs of stopping.

Overall, it still needs a lot of tweaking, but WWE SuperCard appeals to my sense of “gotta get better, gotta get better” because I’ll be damned if I’m gonna lose because of my crappy Cameron card.

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/09/02/2k-wwe-supercard-review/feed/0Top Five WWE Summerslam Performers Of All-Timehttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/08/06/top-five-wwe-summerslam-performers-time/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/08/06/top-five-wwe-summerslam-performers-time/#respondWed, 06 Aug 2014 21:26:23 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=12477WWE Summerslam is fast approaching so it makes a good time to look back at who is the performers that have made the most of this mid-summer classic for the WWE. Summerslam has been an event that has given us some of the best matches in the history of wrestling and many key moments in ...

]]>WWE Summerslam is fast approaching so it makes a good time to look back at who is the performers that have made the most of this mid-summer classic for the WWE. Summerslam has been an event that has given us some of the best matches in the history of wrestling and many key moments in people’s careers. In general, Summerslam has been an event that we do not always remember for the scheduled main event of the show. Some examples of that represented in this list of people that have made the most of Summerslam. So let us get this list rocking and rolling.

5. Brock Lesnar: He is in the main event of this year’s Summerslam against John Cena and since his return from the UFC, Summerslam has been one of the events on his very limited schedule. His matches with Triple H and C.M, Punk were both highly anticipated. Prior to going off to the UFC Brock’s first big moment in the WWE was defeating The Rock to become the Undisputed WWE Champion and at the time the youngest champion in history.

4. Triple H: When you think of Triple H and his long list of matches, a few of the best matches he has had have been at Summerslam. The one that stands out from the pack is his match with a returning Shawn Michaels at the 2002 event who had been out of the business for over four years and many felt his career was over. The match those two put on was an amazing match under normal circumstances but add in the fact it was first time Michaels had been in a ring in over four years. Triple H was a big part of that match coming off as well as it did. Previously mentioned, Triple H had recently a showdown with Brock Lesnar. The birth of “The Game” has its origins tied to a match with Triple H and Stone Cold that would have Mankind added to it with Jessie Ventura as the guest referee. WWE Summerslam has been a place where Triple H has had some of his biggest and best matches.

3. Hulk Hogan: I am not a Hulk-a-Manic and never have been. It is hard not to acknowledge though that Hogan has been a big part of Summerslam. He was in the main event of first Summerslam and many since. It was the first time we saw the Mega-Powers team together facing Andre the Giant and Million Dollar Man. Hogan later in life has had a few dream matches that were better in the build and on paper than they turned out to be in the ring. Matches with people like Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels come to mind. The Michaels match is infamous for how Michaels some say sandbagged the Hulkster by overselling in that match. There were lots of issues behind the scenes with this match with two of the bigger egos in wrestling colliding. Hogan is still the guy that WWE build its four major pay-per-views on his 24-inch pythons. Summerslam is no different from any of the others in that regard.

2. Shawn Micheals: He already has been given the moniker of “Mr. Wrestlemania,” to make him the top dog at Summerslam too would almost be too much. Still, you can’t deny the greatness that is HBK and that was proven on every big show he has ever appeared in for WWE. We talked about his four-year layoff due to injury along with how he jumped back into the ring without looking like he missed a beat. He has fought everyone from Hogan, Vader, Triple H and many others. That list even includes a blood bath along side Triple H as a reformed DX against the McMahon’s with Vince and Shane teamed with Big Show. Micheals is just a great performer and be it a match he had as part of the Rockers, as the young cocky singles competitor with Sensational Sherri, Diesel or as world champion, or as part of “DX”.

1. Bret “Hitman” Hart: “The Hitman” unlike most stars I would argue had his best moments at Summerslam as opposed to Wrestlemania. He had many of his classic matches tied to this event and will run through some of them. First match that jumps to mind is his winning the Intercontinental Title from “Mr. Perfect” at Summerslam in 1991. The back-story to this match is Curt Hennig was suffering from a bad back injury, but insisted on competing in this match to “put over” Bret. You saw Bret putting over his brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith the following year in the only major pay-per-view that was held outside of North America and show to headline an Intercontinental Championship match as the main event. Hart also faced his brother Owen in a steal cage match for the WWE Championship in 1994 edition of Summerslam. He had a classic match with the Undertaker at Summerslam 1997, with his rival Shawn Micheals as the referee of the match. The match would end in controversy with Michaels swinging a chair aimed for Hart that hit the Undertaker instead. HBK forced to count the three counts or face suspension. Bret had far more success and memories made at Summerslam than he did in Wrestlemania.

So that is the list could we have named others of course. Lists are always up for debate, but it hard to deny any of the men on this list to me. Feel free to share your thoughts on the list @BetweenTheRopes on Twitter. I make mention of this, as I always do, these lists they are my personal opinion and do not reflect any of my colleagues on Between the Ropes. You want their opinion on this topic or anything else on your wrestling brain use the #AskBTR and they will answer you on our great podcasts.

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/08/06/top-five-wwe-summerslam-performers-time/feed/0Next WWE NXT Special On The WWE Network Announcedhttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/07/31/next-wwe-nxt-special-wwe-network-announced/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/07/31/next-wwe-nxt-special-wwe-network-announced/#respondThu, 31 Jul 2014 23:59:10 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=12280At tonight’s WWE NXT tapings, WWE executive Triple H announced that the next WWE NXT television special on the WWE Network will take place on Thursday September 11th from Full Sail Univeristy in Winter Park, Florida. A few matches were also announced for the show. New NXT commissioner William Regal announced that NXT heavyweight champion ...

]]>At tonight’s WWE NXT tapings, WWE executive Triple H announced that the next WWE NXT television special on the WWE Network will take place on Thursday September 11th from Full Sail Univeristy in Winter Park, Florida. A few matches were also announced for the show.

New NXT commissioner William Regal announced that NXT heavyweight champion Adrian Neville will make a title defense in a fatal four way match against Tyler Breeze, Sami Zayn and Tyson Kidd. It was also announced that women’s champion Charlotte will also defend the women’s title against Bailey and The Ascension will defend the tag team titles against the winner of a tag team tournament.

The last NXT special, “NXT Takeover” took place on May 29th. That show featured Charlotte winning the vacant women’s title against Natalya, which featured Ric Flair and Bret Hart in their respective corners. Also on the show, Neville successfully defended the heavyweight title against Tyson Kidd.

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/07/31/next-wwe-nxt-special-wwe-network-announced/feed/0WWE Raw Review 7/7: Can Seth Rollins Beat John Cena?http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/07/08/wwe-raw-review-77-can-seth-rollins-beat-john-cena/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/07/08/wwe-raw-review-77-can-seth-rollins-beat-john-cena/#respondTue, 08 Jul 2014 15:52:27 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=11349Last night on WWE Raw, we crossed the border, yet managed to stay on this side of the pond. Still, things were a little off. The Authority was absent, Seth Rollins took center stage, and John Cena still managed his infamous “mixed reaction.” But was the show any good? Read on to find out… ...

]]>Last night on WWE Raw, we crossed the border, yet managed to stay on this side of the pond. Still, things were a little off. The Authority was absent, Seth Rollins took center stage, and John Cena still managed his infamous “mixed reaction.” But was the show any good? Read on to find out…

Segments

Roman Reigns is Vince McMahon’s latest golden goose. WWE let him open the show to get a little more comfortable in front of the audience, but he still flubbed a line or two. I’m not being critical here. I just think expecting him to be on-par with John Cena, Triple H, or even his Shield cohorts Rollins and Ambrose, is unrealistic. So focus on his strengths instead. We don’t need a 15-minute “Roman Reigns Soliloquy” opener. Let Reigns huff, puff, and knock a few people out to get his point across. Quit trying to make WWE Superstars something they’re not.

Damien Sandow was in full-comedy mode last night, donning a leather jacket, pink tights, and his best “Excellence of Execution” impression. The Bret Hart stuff was fine… but I didn’t care that much (sorry, Canada) until Damien SandHart came out. I don’t like Sandow in a comedic/jobber role. But, I have to give credit to Sandow for delivering entertaining impressions each week. Is it hurting his longevity and credibility? For sure. But it’s what WWE wants, so I’ll find some way to enjoy it.

Thank goodness for Bo Dallas. His “you can do it!” heel-schtick is one of my favorite things about WWE programming these days, and his appearance on WWE Raw each week always adds just enough to make fans increasingly irate. The best part here? His victory lap where he steamrolled El Torito.

The show ended the exact same way it began – with Roman Reigns knocking out everybody. Like every week on WWE Raw. Like every time Reigns is in the ring. There was the whole “moment of respect” thing between Reigns and Cena, but having your two babyface heroes as the last men standing make your heels look incredibly weak. Le sigh.

Oh, and Rollins almost cashed in again! The Money in the Bank briefcase hasn’t been this exciting in years. It’s always more fun when a guy is trying to cash in to win his first World Championship (sorry, ROH).

Matches

If you look back at the card you might think, “WWE Raw was stacked last night!” Unfortunately, most of the matches only looked good on paper.

The Usos and Wyatt Family continue to have great chemistry, but momentum was just not in their favor last night. Maybe commercial breaks were to blame? Still, a few near-falls down the stretch brought everybody back to life.

Rusev vs. RVD was awful, and Dean Ambrose against Randy Orton never clicked. So yeah, Raw’s first hour was blehhh. I was even a little disappointed by Alberto Del Rio defeating Dolph Ziggler.

Fanboy alert: The Miz and Chris Jericho took home my “WWE Raw Match of the Night” honors. Not just because I’m a huge fan of both men (which I am), or because my hair looks like it was modeled after The Miz (which it wasn’t). These two had great chemistry. In fact, I’m more than a little bothered that this seems to have been a one-off contest, and that The Miz lost cleanly. Heel Miz = Money Miz. I hope the WWE creative team treats him properly.

I didn’t watch the Divas match. You’re welcome.

Kofi Kingston defeated Cesaro… for the second week in a row. Wow. I’m not sure why Vince McMahon has suddenly warmed up to Kingston, but I’m glad he has. Kingston is a great talent and is rising up my potential “winners of the IC Battle Royal” list.

Seth Rollins and John Cena got to main-even WWE RAW last night, and the company actually did a great job with hyping the contest. You knew it wouldn’t go long because of the start time. Still, both men got in enough offense to make a good showing, and it set up a hot closing to the show (especially between Rollins and Ambrose). I’ll take it.

Other

Has anybody else noticed that Stephanie and Triple H seem to always miss WWE Raw when it’s out of the country?

I accused the production team of monkeying with audience noise, but I think the WWE Raw audio feed was just messed up. Blame Canada.

Overall Show: 5 Superman Punches out of 10

I lauded last week’s WWE Raw as one of the greatest in years. But what goes up must come down, and professional wrestling is no exception. It wasn’t awful. It was, however, dull and uninspired. Shucks.

Did you enjoy last night’s WWE RAW? Tell us why in the comments below!

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/07/08/wwe-raw-review-77-can-seth-rollins-beat-john-cena/feed/0WWE Monday Night Raw Results: Roman Regins Takes Overhttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/07/07/wwe-monday-night-raw-results-john-cena-vs-seth-rollins/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/07/07/wwe-monday-night-raw-results-john-cena-vs-seth-rollins/#respondMon, 07 Jul 2014 23:15:03 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=11311WWE Monday Night Raw July 7, 2014 Bell Centre Montreal, Canada If you missed last week’s edition of Raw click here For all of our coverage on the WWE click here A special thank you to all of the supporters of BetweenTheRopes.com. If you like the content we produce for you guys and want to ...

A special thank you to all of the supporters of BetweenTheRopes.com. If you like the content we produce for you guys and want to help support the site and keep all of the content free, please donate to the site using Paypal by clicking on the support banner on the main page.

WWE Raw Pre-Show:

Tonight’s WWE RAW Pre-show opens with Byron Saxton, Booker T and Alex Riley at WWE studios in Stamford. They hype Seth Rollins vs. John Cena and The Miz vs. Chris Jericho for later tonight. We get a video on John Cena and The Authority. The panel talks about John Cena defending his WWE World Heavyweight Title in the Fatal 4 Way at Battleground.

Dean Ambrose vs. Randy Orton is announced for later. We get a look back at last week when Chris Jericho returned. The panel talks about the Intercontinental Title Battle Royal at Battleground. Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston is announced for tonight so Cesaro can get revenge on Kofi.

We see video from earlier with Renee Young talking to Big E . He cuts another preacher promo about how he will rise like the phoenix. The panel talks about AJ Lee‘s return next. AJ and Paige vs. Cameron and Naomi will take place tonight. We get a few final words from the panel and that’s it for the pre-show.

WWE Monday Night Raw:

First In-Ring Segment:

We open Raw with Roman Reigns making his way down the aisle. Reigns says that when he comes down here he is here to make a point. Reigns says Triple H thinks he can neutralize Cena, and he will. Reigns says that they probably think Kane can neutralize him but he won’t. The crowd begins to chant Cena sucks and Reigns responds saying that when he is in the house Cena does suck. Reigns says that the Authority thinks he is a pawn, but the only thing he is right now is the future WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Out comes Kane.

Kane stands on the stage and Reigns asks if he is there in place of the Authority. He then says that Kane has been Triple H’s lapdog and Randy Orton’s bitch. Kane cones out and the two begin to brawl! The refs come in to break the two up, and Kane chokeslams one of the refs! More officials come in and Reigns spears one of them! Reigns then hits the Superman Punch on Kane to stand tall!

Michael Cole, JBL and Jerry Lawler announced that the Authority will not be on the show and they rundown tonights card as Raw goes to commercial break.

On the WWE App Tom Philips interviews Alicia Fox. Philips announced that Fox will take on Nikki Bella later on with one hand tied behind her back. Alicia Fox says she will be fine and starts flirting with Philips.

First Match: The Wyatt Family vs. The Usos

Harper and Jey start the match off. Jey gets the advantage with a super kick, knocking Harper to the outside. Jimmy is then tagged in, and both Usos take out the Wyatts! Jimmy and Harper lock up, with Harper pushing Jimmy into the corner. Jimmy gets out and takes a shot to Harper, but Harper knocks Jimmy right down. Rowan is then tagged in. Rowan hits a scoop slam and then puts Jimmy in a headlock. Rowan lets go and goes for a leg drop, but he misses. Jimmy then tags in Jey, and Jey storms in and knocks Rowan down. Jey hits a dropkick, but Rowan gets up and hits a shoulder tackle. Rowan makes a pin fall but only gets a two count. Harper is tagged in. The Wyatts are in control as we go to commercial break.

We return with Rowan in control over Jey. Rowan puts Jey in a headlock, and then pushes him into the Wyatt’s corner. Harper is tagged in, but Jey takes out both Wyatts! Jey makes the tag and Jimmy begins his comeback on Harper! Jimmy hits the Samoan Drop, and then follows it with a corkscrew senton on Harper!Jimmy hits the Samoan Drop, and then follows it with a corkscrew senton on Harper! Jey takes out Rowan on the outside, but Harper hits a super kick on Jimmy! Jimmy kicks out at two, and then Jey and Jimmy both hit superkicks on Harper! Jimmy makes the cover but Harper kicks out! Harper then gets back in it with a sit down powerbomb, but Jey breaks the cover up! The Usos take Harper out, and then go for the suicide dive, but Rowan pulls Jimmy out. Jey then gets hit with a clothesline from Harper for the three count.

Jimmy complains to the ref that he was the legal man, as Rowan and Harper stand tall on the ramp.

Winner: The Wyatt Family

The announcers hype up a free week of the WWE Network, focusing on how positive the reviews have been.

We go to the backstage area where Randy Orton tells Kane that he was about to come out and help but it just wasn’t bad enough yet. Kane implies he’s taking the title at Battleground. Rollins comes in and suggests that he’ll cash in on the winner at Battleground. He leaves and Orton says he’s starting to hate that kid. Kane: “Not as much as I’m starting to hate you.”

Second Match: Nikki Bella vs. Alicia Fox

Both girls have an arm tied behind their back, as per the Authority’s decision. Nikki gets tied but Alicia can’t decide which arm should be tied. Instead she jumps Nikki as you would expect her to. Nikki is knocked to the floor but is able to get in a few kicks to slow Fox down. Fox goes outside and finds some Red Bulls to pour over Nikki and leaves. The bell never rang so no match. The match was introduced with the stipulation being per the Authority. Cole: “You have to wonder if the Authority is behind this.

Winner: No Contest

Third Match: Rusev w/Lana vs. Rob Van Dam

RVD starts with a flurry of kicks, and then follows them with a DDT. RVD makes the cover but only gets a two count. RVD goes up for the 5 star, but Rusev pulls him down. Rusev hits a clothesline to the back of the head, and then follows it with a fallaway slam. Rusev then puts RVD in a headlock. RVD gets out, but then runs into an elbow. Rusev hits a couple kicks to the head, and then flaunts to the crowd. RVD is put into another headlock. RVD gets out, and then begins his comeback. RVD rolls Rusev up for a two count, and then follows it with more kicks. RVD goes up top and hits a diving thrust kickRVD goes for the Rolling Thunder, but Rusev moves and hits a super kick. Rusev then locks in the Accolade, and RVD taps out.

Winner: Rusev

Fourth Match: Randy Orton vs. Dean Ambrose

Ambrose and Orton lock up, with Ambrose pushing Orton into the corner. Orton pushes Ambrose off, and then goes to the outside to regroup. Orton gets back in the ring, and Ambrose immediately goes on the attack, working the arm. Orton gets out and tries to work on the injured shoulder, but Ambrose immediately gets away and gets the advantage again. Ambrose hits a clothesline, and then begins to choke Orton with his knee. Orton gets back in it with punches in the corner, but Ambrose retaliates, following it with a dropkick on Orton. Ambrose however gets caught with a clothesline, and Orton is now in control. Orton knocks Ambrose down with an uppercut, and then begins to flaunt to the crowd. Orton turns back to Ambrose and Ambrose hits a clothesline. Ambrose then knocks Orton to the outside, which leads into a commercial break.

We return with Orton in control over Ambrose. Orton hits a dropkick, and then begins to attack the shoulder of Ambrose. Orton puts Ambrose in an arm lock. Ambrose gets out but Orton continues the attack on the shoulder. Ambrose is thrown into the ropes, but Ambrose catches Orton into a DDT. Ambrose tries to cover Orton, but Ambrose is unable to flip Orton over due to the shoulder. Both men get up and trade blows, with Ambrose winning the battle, and beginning his comeback. Orton tries to hit the backbreaker on Ambrose, but Ambrose gets out and puts Orton into the Figure 4 Leg Lock. Orton stays in the hold for awhile, but eventually gets to the bottom rope. Ambrose goes up top, but is caught with a dropkick when he lands. Orton then hits an uppercut, but Ambrose goes through the ropes and bounces back into a clothesline. Ambrose goes for Dirty Deeds, but Orton gets out. Ambrose still throws Orton to the outside, and then throws him into the barricade. Ambrose then throws sox chairs into the ring, and then puts Orton in as well.

Orton however catches Ambrose, and then beats Ambrose down on the outside. Orton hits a DDT on the outside, and then gets in the ring. Ambrose somehow makes it into the ring. Orton and Ambrose begin to go at it, with Ambrose rolling up Orton for a two count. Ambrose then goes in between the ropes to catapult himself into a clothesline, but Orton catches Dean into an RKO. Orton makes the cover and gets a three count.

Winner: Randy Orton

We go backstage with John Cena. Cena says that he may have a target on his back, but thats what comes with being champion. In comes Roman Reigns. Reigns says good luck for Cena’s match tonight. Cena says he doesn’t need luck. Reigns says he is going to need luck when he faces him at Battleground. We go to commercial break.

Fifth Match: #1 Contenders Match to determined the Number 1 Contender to the WWE United States Championship
Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio

Del Rio and Ziggler go at it, with Ziggler hitting a neck breaker. Ziggler goes for a baseball slide, but Ziggler gets caught in the ring apron. Del Rio hits a kick to the head, and then puts Ziggler back in the ring. Ziggler kicks out at two, and then begins to back. Ziggler hits a cross body, and then a flurry of punches in the corner. Del Rio moves out of the way, and then hits a modified facebuster from the top rope. Del Rio makes the cover but only gets a two count. Del Rio goes for the Arm Breaker, but Dolph gets out and hits Jumping DDT. Dolph makes the cover but only gets a two count. Dolph goes for the Zig Zag but Del Rio holds on to the rope. Ziggler still hits a dropkick. Ziggler then hits the Fame Asser, but Del Rio kicks out. Fandango then goes on top of the announce table, and begins to dance. Ziggler is distracted, and Del Rio hits the super kick. Del Rio makes the cover and gets the three count.

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

Tomorrow night on the WWE Network on WWE Main Event Sheamus will defend the United States Championship against Alberto Del Rio.

Stardust talks to Goldust’s wig until Goldust comes up and says they need to be bizarre. We get a good line from Goldust: “Where we’re going we don’t need Rhodes.” It’s a more up to date reference than Happy Days at least.

WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart will be on the show next as Raw goes to commercial break.

Post break Fandango is in the back when Layla comes up and wants to know why he was out there. Was it because he was jealous of Ziggler kissing Summer last week? Layla doesn’t think she could handle Fandango still having feelings for Summer. Fandango assures her he doesn’t but sees Summer, looking great in a blue dress, staring at them and giving him a come get it look.

Second In-Ring Segment:

We go to the ring with Jerry Lawler. Jerry introduces Bret, and out he comes. Bret gets into the ring, and gets a mic. Bret says that it is always an honor to be back in Montreal. He says that if he could have one more match, it would be here in Montreal. Out comes Damien Sandow dressed as Bret Hart. Sandow says that he had one regret, and that is being from a third world country like Canada. He then says his other regret is never being in the ring with the greatest wrestler ever, Damien Sandow. Sandow says talking was never Bret’s strong suit, and then Bret knocks Sandow out of the ring. Bret then says punching was, and stands tall in the ring.

Sixth Match: Sheamus vs. Damien Sandow

We return with Sandow in control over Sheamus on the outside. Sandow throws Sheamus into the barricade, and then puts Sheamus back in the ring. Sandow then goes for the Sharpshooter, but Sheamus gets out. Sheamus then hits the ten blows to the chest on Sandow, and then calls for the Brogue Kick. Sheamus connects with Brogue Kick, and then makes the cover for the three count.

Winner: Sheamus

Renee is backstage with The Miz. He reads a letter from a fan named Johnny Russo who wants Miz to put Chris Jericho in his place. Miz talks about how WWE would be in trouble if something happened to his Hollywood face. We go to commercial.

We see a list of the shows airing on the Network. They’re really busting out the big guns here. Saturday has a Saturday Night’s Main Event marathon and Sunday has Wrestlemania XXX.

Seventh Match: Chris Jericho vs. The Miz

Miz and Jericho lock up, with Jericho getting out and getting hit with a shoulder block. Miz begins to beat Jericho down, until Jericho fights back with a couple of chops. Jericho goes for a punch, and Miz immediately covers his face. Jericho still knocks Miz to the outside, and then hits a spring board dropkick. Jericho puts Miz back in the ring, and then hits a bulldog. Jericho goes for the Lionsault, but Miz pushes Jericho to the outside. Miz puts Jericho back in the ring, and then follows it with a kick to the head. Miz puts Jericho in a headlock. Jericho gets out and begins his comeback. Jericho hits a double axe handle, and then tries for the Walls of Jericho. Miz rolls out, and then gets up and hits a big boot. Miz makes the cover but only gets a two count.

Jericho gets back in it with a high kick to the head, but Miz gets up and hits the snap DDT. Miz makes the cover but Jericho kicks out at two. Miz goes for a kick, but Jericho ducks and rolls Miz up for a two count. Jericho then goes for a dropkick, but is caught into the Figure 4! Jericho is able to the get to the ropes, and then hits Miz straight in the face. Miz covers up again, and Jericho immediately capitalizes, putting Miz in the Walls of Jericho. Miz immediately taps out, giving Jericho the win.

Bray Wyatt comes out and is sitting in his chair. Bray says everyone is waiting for Jericho to save them, but he can’t even save himself. Bray says he will hold every word against him. Bray says that these people were once Jerichoholics, but they now sing to a different tune. Jericho then tells him to shut up, and that since it is only Bray up there, he will walk out of the ring, and knock Bray out. Jericho walks up the ramp, and then the rest of the Family appear behind Bray. Bray eggs Jericho on as we go to commercial.

Winner: Chris Jericho

Eight Match: The Funkadactyls vs. AJ Lee & Paige

Naomi and Paige start the match off. Naomi hits a couple of knees early, and then goes for a tag to Cameron. Cameron refused, and Paige capitalizes with a kick to the head. Paige begins to stomp Naomi in the corner, and then tags in AJ. AJ hits a hurricanrana on Naomi, and then makes a cover for a two count. Naomi tries to make a tag, but Cameron ignores her again. Paige is tagged in, but is hit with a clothesline. Cameron then tags herself in, and is hit the Paige Turner right away! Paige makes the pinfall for the three count.

Cameron and Naomi begin to argue more, and they finally begin to go at it. The ref tries to stop it but Naomi and Cameron still go at it. Cameron walks away as Naomi looks on. We go to commercial break

Winner: AJ Lee & Paige

Ninth Match: Cesaro w/Paul Heyman vs. Kofi Kingston

Kofi immediately knocks Cesaro to the outside. Kofi beats Cesaro down on the outside, and then brings Cesaro into the ring. As Kofi gets into the ring, Cesaro knocks him to the outside. Cesaro puts him back in the ring, and hits a military press slam onto his knee. Cesaro makes the cover but only gets a two count. Cesaro then goes for a shoulder thrust, but Kofi moves and rolls Cesaro up for the three count!

Cesaro attacks Kofi after the match again, but Big E comes out and makes the save. Cesaro stands on the ramp as the two in the ring call him to come back.

Winner: Kofi Kingston

John Cena is backstage when Seth Rollins walks in. Rollins just wants to have a civilized conversation. Rollins says tonight isn’t about cashing in, it’s about who’s the best. Rollins says maybe he will cash in once he proves he’s the best or maybe if something happens to Cena. Cena says Rollins is full of crap. Cena says Rollins is damn good but knocks his new ring gear. Cena guarantees Rollins is in for the fight of his life tonight. We go to commercial.

This Friday night on SmackDown Roman Regins will take on Rusev.

Tenth Match: Bo Dallas vs. El Torito w/Diego

Torito runs around Bo, and then Torito gets the advantage. Bo attacks Diego, and then hits an elbow to the face on Torito. Bo hits the Bo-Dog for the three count.

Winner: Bo Dallas

Eleventh Match: John Cena vs. Seth Rollins

Seth and Cena stare each other down, with Cena screaming to Seth that this is the big time. Both men lock up, with Seth being taken down with a hip toss. Cena goes for a bulldog but Seth reverses it. Seth then hits a flurry of offense, ending it with a neckbreaker. Seth is in control as we go to commercial.

We return with Rollins in control. Cena fights back with a modified back drop, and now both men are done. Cena goes for a splash but misses, and Rollins remains in control. Cena however gets back in it, and tries to go for the AA. Rollins gets out and hits a DDT. Rollins makes the cover but Cena kicks out at two. Rollins hits a couple of kicks to the Cena while he is on the ground, but Cena catches Rollins into a sit down powerbomb! Cena makes the cover but Seth kicks out at two. Cena goes up top, but Seth hits a kick to the head, which makes Cena fall straight to the mat. Seth makes the cover but Cena kicks out again. Rollins goes for a knee but misses, and then Cena begins his comeback. Cena goes for the AA again, but Rollins lands on his feet! Cena still catches Rollins into the STF, and Rollins tries to get to the ropes. Out comes Kane.

Orton comes from behind and Kane and Orton begin to attack Cena. Out comes Roman Reigns. Reigns takes out Kane and Orton, but Rollins knocks out Reigns and Cena with the briefcase. Rollins then calls for a ref, as he is ready to cash in!but out comes Ambrose! Ambrose takes out Rollins, as they fight to the back. Cena then takes out Orton, and Reigns takes out Kane! Reigns raises Cena’s hand, and then Cena does the same for Reigns. Reigns and Cena stare each other down as tension builds. This concludes Raw.

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/07/07/wwe-monday-night-raw-results-john-cena-vs-seth-rollins/feed/0What To Expect On Tonight’s WWE Monday Night Rawhttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/07/07/expect-tonight/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/07/07/expect-tonight/#respondMon, 07 Jul 2014 20:27:24 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=11295WWE Monday Night Raw takes place tonight from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Last week’s show featured the returns of Chris Jericho, AJ Lee and The Miz. Jericho looks to be starting a program with Bray Wyatt, while Lee regained the Divas championship from Paige. Also, new WWE world heavyweight champion John Cena ...

]]>WWE Monday Night Raw takes place tonight from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Last week’s show featured the returns of Chris Jericho, AJ Lee and The Miz. Jericho looks to be starting a program with Bray Wyatt, while Lee regained the Divas championship from Paige.

Also, new WWE world heavyweight champion John Cena was announced to be on the new cover of the WWE 2K15 video game. Triple H then told Cena that he will defend the title against Kane, Randy Orton and Roman Reigns at WWE Battleground in 13 days. What can we expect on tonight’s WWE Monday Night Raw?

Already announced for tonight’s show is Cena vs Seth Rollins in a non-title match. This match would be expected to close tonight’s show. One would think the match ends in a non-finish as you either can suffer a pinfall at this point. Maybe WWE teases a cash-in by Rollins and interference by Dean Ambrose, Orton, Reigns or Kane.

Also advertised is a match between Jericho and Miz. Would be shocked if the match actually takes place. Expect Wyatt and the family to come out and cause the match to not happen.

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart will be on the show. Don’t know what Hart’s role on the show will be, but would expect some type of interaction with Cena as they usually do a segment together when “The Hitman” is on the show.

]]>http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/07/07/expect-tonight/feed/0NXT Takeover (2014) Reviewhttp://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/05/30/nxt-takeover-2014-review/
http://www.betweentheropes.com/2014/05/30/nxt-takeover-2014-review/#respondFri, 30 May 2014 16:41:38 +0000http://www.betweentheropes.com/?p=9605Since the WWE Network debuted, the one consistently-growing phenomenon has been NXT. What started out as a wrestling alternative has turned into one of WWE’s best hours. Last night’s Takeover set out to prove that not, only are these future WWE stars, but they can carry a show today. Did it deliver? Read on to ...

Since the WWE Network debuted, the one consistently-growing phenomenon has been NXT. What started out as a wrestling alternative has turned into one of WWE’s best hours. Last night’s Takeover set out to prove that not, only are these future WWE stars, but they can carry a show today. Did it deliver? Read on to find out.

Segments

One area that NXT differs from Raw and Smackdown is with its sparing use of backstage hype. Last night was no different. There was a great moment with Natalya, Kidd, and Bret Hart just sitting around. Simple, but effective.

We also had a fantastic video package for Sammi Zayne hyping why he needed to win over Tyler Breeze. The interview formal told a heartfelt story, and did more to put Zayne over than those handicap matches ever did for Ryback. It gave us that much needed personal connection.

Mojo Rawley and Rusev did something. Of course Rusev went over because he’s Vince’s guy right now, but using Rawley as the sacrificial lamb was unnecessary for a guy who is so mind-bogglingly popular. I say “mind-bogglingly” because his catch-phrase is kind of dumb.

One final note… that pre-show and post-show could teach the Raw, Smackdown, and Pay-Per-View crew a thing or two. Entertaining interviews, and appropriate crowd interaction made the show seem even bigger, not hammy gimmick matches and an awkward social media room.

Matches

Talk about a great night of wrestling…. Sami Zayne and Tyler Breeze tried their hardest to steal the show. I’m not really down with Zayne losing again (he’s the most popular guy on NXT, and needs the momentum to carry even higher). Still, Triple H must be pretty high on Tyler Breeze. These guys tried some groundbreaking stuff and deserve major props for it. I thought the near-falls down the stretch became a little too much, but that’s being nitpicky. This is what I want on WWE Raw each week.

Charlotte defeated Natalya to prove what a 2014 women’s match should look like. Seeing Hart and Flair in their respective corners made this match feel major league, and Charlotte looked even more impressive by celebrating with ‘The Nature Boy.’ Plus, she deserved the victory. Her in-ring skills have come a long way since debuting on NXT, and I hope WWE sees fit to let her further refine her technique before moving up to RAW… doubtful with her last name, though. And let’s get Natalya back in the championship picture!

The reason Adrian Neville and Tyson Kidd (barely) scored my match of the night honors is because I didn’t expect as much as they delivered. The first five minutes of mat-based grappling had me geeking out. Impressive moves from both men, with a great build, and hot finish. I still don’t think Neville is a future main-eventer, but he fills this niche very well. And why has WWE been sitting on Tyson Kid for so long? He knows how to work the ring. At the very least, put Kid in a mid-card feud with Barrett for the IC Championship and watch a little magic happen.

Other

Argh. Connection issues again. NXT Arrival had me worried about Wrestlemania, but with the successes of both Pay-Per-Views since then, I figured WWE had this streaming business figured out. I was wrong. Not only did my feed get caught up throughout the night, it killed the final match. And when I can’t fast forward, rewind, or exit, it makes me sour on the whole show.

I’m done with Adam Rose. His gimmick annoys me, his in-ring style is…fine, but unspectacular. And nothing about his match made sense. Rose looked weak in victory, which is never a good sign. Consider me a lemon, then.

Great announce team. Great freakin’ announce team. Major props.

Overall Show: 7/$9.99

When fans on Twitter are asking why your flagship shows, with all your established main-event talent, aren’t this good, maybe it’s time to reevaluate the business strategy. The bar has been set by a developmental show. Let’s see if Payback comes anywhere close to matching it.

Discuss your thoughts on NXT Takeover in the comments below. Or, let us know what you think by connecting with Between the Ropes on Facebook and Twitter.